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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29241369">need you</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/micawasfound/pseuds/micawasfound'>micawasfound</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dream SMP - Fandom, Dreamwastaken, Minecraft (Video Game), dream - Fandom</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>DNF, DreamSMP - Freeform, Minecraft, Multi, dream - Freeform, dreamwastaken - Freeform, minecraft youtubers - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 10:21:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>12,748</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29241369</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/micawasfound/pseuds/micawasfound</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>when dream searches for a new member for his smp, he stumbles accross a small stream by the name of juniberries. his over flirtatious nature coupled with her outgoing personality leads to intense connections.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>56</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. welcome to the chat!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>juniberries is an 'oc' of sorts, they use she/they pronouns and are non binary. I hadn't seen much nb fanfics and wanted to fill the gaps. this doesn’t mean the dream character i use in the book is inherently gay, i don’t want to force labels on people.  enjoy!!</p>
    </blockquote><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>a new user appears in juniberries chat..</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"hey thanks for the follow darcyflower!" i exclaim. my eyes wonder over to the chat as i copy and paste my discord link, "if you want to join the discord i've just put it in chat, no pressure of course but we're pretty cool" i chuckle down the mic and get back to my game.</p><p>"we're super close to 1000 followers now guys, it's amazing how far we've come the last few months" the chat fills up with a few pog emotes, as well as some genuinely nice messages. 60 whole viewers, this is honestly incredible. it was just last week i was only at 10 view average.</p><p>my character moves on screen, placing blocks as i try to bridge to the next island. i misclick. i fall. </p><p>[you have been eliminated]</p><p>i slowly pan over to the camera and stay staring at it in silence for a few seconds.</p><p>"i am a bedwars god" i convince myself before dropping my head low. hair covers my face before i push it back, looking at the camera in dispair. "just a warmup game" i repeat a few times before clicking into a new lobby.</p><p>a message catches my eye in chat, "you can't say warmup game if it's your 5th game" i stop dead in my tracks and make direct eye contact with my camera "firstly, i'm just too powerful it takes a while to warm up- secondly i would love to see you do better"</p><p>i laugh to myself before getting back the game, playing a fast round bedwars and once again absolutely bombing and dying within the first 2 minutes.</p><p>before the next game even starts, the ring of an alert fills my ears and my head spikes up. i start reading the beginning of the notification before thinking;</p><p>"thanks for the tier one sub dreamwastaken"</p><p>wait,</p><p>pause.</p><p>i freeze and time slows down, that can't be him right? surely not.<br/>
my eyes flash to chat who is freaking out as much as me. play it cool june, play it cool.</p><p>"is that real?" i say both to chat and myself, i tab out to read my donations list again. there's no spelling mistakes and when i click on the name, it takes me to his page.</p><p>i'm going to cry. what the fuck is even happening?</p><p>"welcome dream! it's super cool you've stopped in my stream" i smile before tabbing back into the bedwars game. my hand starts shaking and i can feel my heart rate.<br/>
not only is my view count suddenly in the hundreds, one of them is the dream.</p><p>"wait mods can you VIP him so if he types in chat i can see the message? thank you" i split out. he's not going to say anything in the chat, i don't even know if this is real.</p><p>i play for a few more seconds before the VIP badged name flashes past.</p><p>[dreamwastaken]<br/>
hi juniberries! you're stream seems super fun, do you have a discord i could message u on?? </p><p>"a discord?" my eyebrows raise so far up my face i think they could take off. what the fuck is happening right now? i've heard of him contacting people like this before to give merch but i would feel bad even doing that. maybe i've said something about him in past streams he isn't happy with? </p><p>am i about to get lectured by dream?</p><p>i type my discord into chat without thinking. i can't be too fan girl right now, this is insane i am literally losing my mind but he can't realise that i'm freaking out.</p><p>"it's great to have you here man, it's actually amazing" i laugh a little and run my hand through my hair. i died on bedwars again, my hands are still aggressively shaking so i'm really not surpised. </p><p>i want to say so many things to him but i literally can't even think of what to say.</p><p>my phone buzzes and a discord notification pops up on my monitor. </p><p>a friend request on discord. it's him </p><p>"give me one second guys" i say as i tab out again. i'm sure chat understands, i think anyone would be surpised at this- it's not everyday a content creator with 17 million subs decides to add you on discord.</p><p>i press accept, before clicking immediately out of discord to text my roommate what just happened. a message notification from dream comes through as send the message to my flat mate, i tap my screen to read it without another thought.</p><p>a small paragraph describing how he's wanted to get more diversity within the smp, and how he's been scouting people to join for a little while. it also mentions how he's seen a few of my streams now, my blood goes cold.</p><p>‘do you want to join the smp?’</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>hi! it’s me mica! this is my first ever story on ao3, i usually write on wattpad but i thought u would also transfer some of my works to here. slightly nerve wracking but i’m sure it’ll be fine. thanks for reading this chapter!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. questionable choice of words</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>june gets on the smp and gets to know dream a little better.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>'do you want to join the smp?'</p>
<p>i can't believe that happened, even a day later the idea seems so native. after he messaged me i ended the live, saying that dream needed to talk to me about something with my stream- a blatant lie. i've heard that he's scouted a few people this way, lurking in their streams and then randomly inviting them to the smp. but how did he even find me? compared to people like ranboo, even he was averaging a couple hundred if not thousand people before dream invited him.</p>
<p>matt, my roommate freaked out when i told him. he was a streamer like me and is fairly large in comparison. he'd been a long time fan of dream and the dream smp- making it ironic that me, someone who had only recently started watching, would get into it before he even had a chance.</p>
<p>i didn't talk to dream for long, he told me to keep introductions for today where i will make my grand debut and join the smp. if i remember correctly he said he would give me a tour, and keep me company on the stream. he also gave me tips about how to prepare for tomorrow, and told me i should let all of my chat mods know about what was happening. i also had to put my discord on lockdown for the time being, it was like preparing for war.</p>
<p>i yawn and stand from my bed, making my way over to my wardrobe to grab one of my oversized knitted cardigans. i need to look good today, he said that it's likely going to be one of my biggest streams ever.</p>
<p>hair up or down? it's pretty short at the moment, the result of complete boredom at the hands of lockdown. the hairbrush pushes through the currently dark purple hair until i look semi respectable.</p>
<p>t-minus 7 minutes until i go live.</p>
<p>i wander over to my pc, opening up twitch. this is it, once i go live and change my title i don't think there's any going back. i'm literally just a 19 year old kid, i don't think this is going to turn out well.</p>
<p>my discord pings again</p>
<p>[dream]<br/>
hey! i'm in vc3 right now, i know you're starting soon but thought we could talk through the plan. also would be cool to get to kno u better :)</p>
<p>okay. this is fine, this is a normal occurrence on a saturday night. i'm just about to click into the smp discord, and then hop in a vc with dream. this is fine.</p>
<p>my finger hovers over the vc as i take a deep breath. i haven't explored the discord yet, there's apart of me that feels like this is illegal- and reading all of the messages from these content creators feels like a capitol offence.</p>
<p>realisation hits that i'm leaving dream hanging in a vc on his own so i quickly press into the call.</p>
<p>there's silence for a second and i panic, a "hello?" meekly comes from my mouth. the silence stays.</p>
<p>he's muted.</p>
<p>"dream i think you might be muted"</p>
<p>i just told dreamwastaken that he was muted. the mute icon disappears from next to his name, suddenly a laugh fills my ears.</p>
<p>my eyes widen for a second as he laughs hard into his mic, i feel the corners of lips curve and i begin to laugh to- whether it's from nervousness or the fact the situation is funny.</p>
<p>"sorry i think i leant on my keyboard" he explains. a weight is almost lifted from my shoulders, i can explain why but his voice just brings me a sweeping feeling of comfort, "i was just saying that i'll just be with you for the tour, i didn't want you to just be dumped in the deep end on your own"</p>
<p>i smile to myself and take a deep breath, "thank you, i'm glad to have someone with me- i'm absolutely shitting myself" a nervous laugh escapes my lips and i get the final bits ready for my streams.</p>
<p>"you'll be fine, it's daunting but i'm here as well" he comforts, "just be yourself, that's the main thing"</p>
<p>"can i ask you a question?" i finish setting up the last bits as i speak.</p>
<p>"sure what's up" he responds sweetly, his eagerness to please showing up a little.</p>
<p>"why did you choose me to join?"</p>
<p>a warm hum comes through my headphones as he thinks for a second, "i stumbled into one of your streams a while back, i thought you looked cool- i mean you're cool in general you know?"</p>
<p>i thought you looked cool. wow</p>
<p>"also, i really needed some more diversity in the smp- i didn't want it to just be full of men so getting some more girls in was a big plus"</p>
<p>oh, he doesn't know. that's fine i mean its not like it's part of my brand that i'm non-binary.</p>
<p>"actually," i have to correct him, "i'm non binary! my pronouns are she/they, meaning i go by she/her and they/them"</p>
<p>there's a small silence before dream finally says "really?" in a surprised way.</p>
<p>"yup, sorry i didn't mention before! i hope this isn't an issue" i swallow and take a deep breath. imagine, i get rejected because someone accidentally assumed my gender.</p>
<p>"no no! of course that's not an issue" he reassures. his voice sounds slightly panicked, "i'm so sorry for getting it wrong, you just don't look like that's the case"</p>
<p>i don't reply for a second. did he really just say that? has he never talked to a trans person before?</p>
<p>he picks up on my silence and make an elongated 'um' sound- clearing his throat before saying "do you want to start your stream?"</p>
<p>i say "yup", and click the go live button.</p>
<p>i'm not sure i like dream all that much.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. 'small minded'</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"thank you for the raid with the party of 4076 juniberries!" matt says as i join his voice call. we both break into screams of celebration as i quickly jump up. i dash out of my room and into his office next door, launching myself onto him as he sits laughing and playing a shooter game.</p>
<p>"i'm on the fucking dream smp" i scream, ripping his hat off his head, falling onto the floor next to him in the process. he wheezes and takes a minute before moving the face cam to point at me sprawled out across his floors</p>
<p>"yeah guys, if you didn't know this is june my roommate- raiders will know but she was just added and had their first stream on the server" he explains before moving his camera back into its normal position facing him. "drag the stool over and join me for a while i have questions" his hand points weakly at a stool next to us.</p>
<p>i jump up and pull the stool overly close to matt, leaning myself and linking my arm through his whilst he still plays on in game.</p>
<p>"so how did it go with dream?" his eyes are still steadily focused on the screen as he speaks, but i know he's genuinely really curious.</p>
<p>i think for a second before laughing, "it was fun, he showed me around the important parts of the smp wnd told me some behind the scenes knowledge"</p>
<p>an 'oo' sound comes from the slightly older boy. my eyes drift over to the chat and i unlatch myself from his arm. "dude you're at 30k views this is insane" i point out.<br/>"apparently some smp updates account tweeted that i'm in the stream" i read from chat. my eyebrows raise and i look at matt. his face is the same as mine. this is fucking weird.</p>
<p>"remember to sub with prime guys" he shouts suddenly. i chuckle and start reading out random subs as they go past.</p>
<p>after a while his game ends and exits the waiting lobby, before increasing the size of the face cam for stream. he turns his chair towards me and i do the same.</p>
<p>he looks so much like an indie tiktok boy it hurts my brain.</p>
<p>"someone said i didn't look non binary today" i blurt out, trying to hold back a laugh. his face drops.</p>
<p>"like in chat or?" he questions. i give him a look, and almost as if he reads my mind, his face drops even more.</p>
<p>"no fucking way"</p>
<p>my head nods.</p>
<p>"don't you think that's so shitty chat" he exclaims, looking back over to his camera. chat erupts in purple hearts and 'that's gross' in signs of support.</p>
<p>"you're so evil" i mutter, causing the slightly older boy to throw his head back in laughter. i mean, he started it so i might as well continue.</p>
<p>"some people are just so conceited and small minded" i start. an 'are we really doing this?' comes from matt, i tap his thigh as a sign of 'yes, obviously'. i finish my sentence, "imagine still thinking non-binary equals completely androgynous in 2021"</p>
<p>a long "truee" some from matt. i continue;</p>
<p>"if i wasn't such a baddie i could have gotten really hurt by someone saying that" i sigh and make a dramatic face, "it wasn't even meant in a hurtful way, it was just pure ignorance"</p>
<p>i pull my cardigan back over one of my shoulders. matt begins talking about something in game and my eyes drift back over to chat.</p>
<p>"are you and june dating?" i read out loud, a large cackle comes from matt. my hand moves and gently punches his arm, "do you want me to explain?"</p>
<p>"well basically" matt says really loudly, "i'm just too immensely cool so june fell in love with me, but i had too many bitches so now i just keep her around to do my laundry"</p>
<p>i give the camera a death stare before once again punching his arm again, this time not as playful. he flicks my forehead before going back to his game again.</p>
<p>"i'll explain" i sigh and roll my shoulders a few times, "me and matt met a few years ago at a party, full transparency i did have a little crush on him but matt and i am have more of a sibling relationship at this point"</p>
<p>matt nods, i look back over at chat.</p>
<p>"brother taking the L on this one" i scoff at the message from chat and look at matt whose pulling a weird face, "listen we would just be too powerful as a couple" i throw my hands up in the air sensing him wanting to play into the down-bad man stereotype.</p>
<p>"i don't actually want to date you june" matt says.</p>
<p>heavy doubt on that one.</p>
<p>"you don't" i turn to look at him and pout trying to make myself look as cute as possible, he shoots me a dirty look and rolls his eyes, "our children would be super hot"</p>
<p>"ew get out" he pretends to gag before fully concentrating on the game. i stand up from my stool and go to leave. before i even make it a step, matts hand grabs me round the waist and pulls me into an hug.</p>
<p>"you're so clingy it's actually disgusting" i peel his arms from off me and head to the door.</p>
<p>"love you!" he shouts before i leave. i shout it back knowing that if i ignore him it's likely the consequences would be higher than it's worth.</p>
<p>i leave the sound of matt talking to his chat behind and head back to my room, taking in the scent of burning incense as i walk in.</p>
<p>today has been so unique, even if some people were a bit disappointing. even after dream left, i got to talk to captain puffy and eret. i didn't manage to develop my character much yet, apparently it's cannon that me and eret are cousins now- only because of our similar accents but it's nice to seem accepted.</p>
<p>tomorrow is a new day, and considering the message from a certain mr tommyinnit, it's likely my lore story in the smp is literally just about to begin.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. just like you</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>@/juniberries_40 m<br/>thank you all so much for the support! it's amazing to be able to have this platform, thank u 2 everyone on the smp &lt;3<br/>4k 💬 10k🔄 24k ❤️<br/>|<br/>|<br/>@/karljacobs 30 m<br/>let's gooo!! excited to meet you<br/>           |<br/>           |<br/>@/juniberries_ 25 m<br/>yes! we should hang out soon &lt;33</p>
<p>|<br/>|<br/>@/TubboLive 25 m<br/>pog!!</p>
<p>"i guess you aren't that bad juniberries" tommy says in an overly sarcastic tone. i click out of my twitter and zone back into game. tommy stands crouched infront of me, wearing armour i was given literally 24 hours beforehand when i joined the server.</p>
<p>"you're only saying that because i gave you my armour, this is harassment" i say in response. tommy let's out a high pitched laugh before denying it quickly.</p>
<p>"it's because your not a woman- and i'm all for equality so whoever is not a woman just sucks" he explains in a semi convincing tone of voice. my eyes roll and i look over at chat.</p>
<p>i just hit 100k followers on twitch and i'm talking to tommyinnit. life is good.</p>
<p>i look back at my screen before moving my mouse around randomly, "that's very inclusive of you mr tommy" i look over at the steam time, way over 3 hours now. i'm so tired.</p>
<p>"well tommy, it's been fun getting mugged i guess" i crouch a few times and hit his character, "i'll speak to you later, thank you for helping me build my house"<br/>i move my character until i'm looking directly at the horribly built variation wood building- i don't even think i can say it's a house.</p>
<p>"okay, i'm going to stay on" his tone of voice makes me laugh a little, "good night juniberries" he continues his over saturated tone of voice as i leave the game and the VC.</p>
<p>"well stream! thanks for watching," i pull up my followers list to find someone to raid, "it's been real fun building with you guys tonight, thanks to tommy for his artistic direction"</p>
<p>"i think i'll raid tommy actually" i click the raid button, "lots of love guys! go show tommy some love too- that boy seems an interesting one" slowly but surely everyone trickles out of my stream and it officially comes to an end.</p>
<p>i stretch out from my hands to my feet and groan before closing my eyes. why am i so tired.</p>
<p>just as i start to relax, a discord call start blaring through my headphones causing me to jump a little. i lift my head and look at my screen.</p>
<p>it's dream calling.<br/>i wonder what he wants.</p>
<p>it's not like i can ignore it, he knows i just finished stream and am probably still sitting at my desk. before i can think my hand is already moving to click accept, and then i'm in a call with dream.</p>
<p>"hey! how can i help you?" my tone is still cheerful, using the last energy i had from stream.</p>
<p>"yeah, i just wanted to talk to you about what happened the other day" he says with a lightly concerned voice. he knows i was upset at him oh god, he's going to lecture me and i'm going to cry.</p>
<p>i take a deep breath, "what about the other day?" i question, obviously already knowing what he was talking about.</p>
<p>he chuckles before sighing loudly, i feel my heart rate increase "i was watching your friends stream the other day when you raided him- i think his name was matt?"</p>
<p>"oh"</p>
<p>oh.</p>
<p>he heard the joke about what he said. i really am going to get lectured by dream.</p>
<p>"i just wanted to apologise," he starts off again, "it was pretty ignorant of me to say, i genuinely didn't want to upset you" the sincerity of his voice really pushed through. my fave softens.</p>
<p>i think he's being genuine. i wish i could see his face to be able to tell what he's thinking.</p>
<p>i sigh, almost in relief. i'm glad he didn't double down and pretend as if he didn't do anything wrong. "it's okay, i just found it funny at the time- don't worry about it man" i explain. a twinge of guilt hits my stomach as a sigh alike mine forms through my headphones.</p>
<p>"okay good i just wanted to clear it up" he chuckles and little before i hear him stretch from his end of the call. i imagine him, a tall lanky white dude hunched over a computer for hours on end, the only light coming from his computers- but his main current concern is whether he hurt my feelings. it's endearing to say the least.</p>
<p>a silence fills the call as the topic winds down. i'm not sure what to do, do i leave the call or do i say something?</p>
<p>"so you and matt," he starts, "are you a thing?"</p>
<p>i almost choke on m air, that was unexpected. "that's super personal my guy" i laugh, trying not to seem too awkward. that was really weird.<br/>he literally went from apologising to trying to detective my personal life.</p>
<p>"i just thought now me and you have talked more you'd consider us friends" he trails off and i let out a loud laugh. friends! friends with dream, can you imagine. my eyes stare blankly at my screen almost in awe, i keep having these waves of realisation about what's happening. each time they seem to be stronger than the last.</p>
<p>my head shakes and i speak with a subtle chuckle, "no, we're not a couple". i take a deep breath and continue, "i'm just quite a naturally flirty and tactile person- he is as well actually, so it just looks like we're lovey dovey on screen". i finish explaining and lean back in my chair, i'm so good at explaining things.</p>
<p>"me too" his voice almost seems pained, "i've been in many situations like that don't worry" his laugh fill my ears and i almost get butterflies. he seems so calm and collected.</p>
<p>i laugh a little and he speaks again, "this one time, i ended up just casually half hugging one of my friends girlfriends and it just got into such a bad situation" my eyebrow raises, this is new. i didn't realise we were sharing anecdotes.</p>
<p>"what did he say?" i ask curiously. another one of his slow laughs comes down through my headphones.</p>
<p>"after we explained what happened it wasn't too bad, some other stuff happened that made it a little more sus" he laughs again, this time coughing a little.</p>
<p>"i get you i get you" i nod to myself. once again, another silence creeps up- this time the silence is comforting. i hear the click of typing and clicking from dreams mic.</p>
<p>"being a tactile person does mean i give the best hugs though" my words turn soft, almost childlike.</p>
<p>"oh really?" he hums. it's almost enough to give me goosebumps.</p>
<p>i wonder what dream is like to hug? the thought of arms around me squeezing gently almost consumes me. my mind starts to wonder about what he smells like, what sort of cologne he uses- how tall i would be compared to him.</p>
<p>god i need a hug.</p>
<p>i snap myself out of my thoughts, "yeah, but i don't give them out to just anyone mr dream, especially not people who i don't even know the face of" a giggle leaves my mouth as i finish my sentence. i've got him now.</p>
<p>"you're not baiting me into sending you a face reveal juniberries" he announces, again with another laugh. i don't know if it's me or just his humour but this man laughs so much.</p>
<p>"it was worth a try" i have been defeated, my quick trick to try and get the face reveal just didn't work. i'm pretty sure if he did actually send me his face it would only feed into my hugging escapism- it's probably for the best.</p>
<p>"also please just call me june, the full username is a lot" as i speak i go to the discord settings and change my nickname. june. short and sweet.</p>
<p>he hums in acknowledgment, "i'm about to do some mcc practise on hypixel, you want me to teach you how to play bedwars?" the words come out softly, taking me aback a little. minecraft with dream?</p>
<p>the clock says it's 11pm, i've only just fixed my sleep schedule. i don't think i can. plus, i'm being completely blind sighted to the fact he just insulted my bedwars skills.</p>
<p>"that sounds like a great idea" i enthuse, "but it's actually quite late here, we should do it on a stream if you're down?" my fingers cross in hopes he won't shoot me down.</p>
<p>"oh"</p>
<p>there is a silence. an immense amount of guilt sweeps over me. did he actually want to play with me? i just thought it was because he was bored.</p>
<p>another 'uh' sound comes through the mic, before a "yeah sure, are you free on tuesday?"</p>
<p>tuesday, tuesday, tuesday. </p>
<p>i'm busy on tuesday. i said to matt i would help with some of his uni work. i'm about to blow dream out for a second time, he's going to hate me.</p>
<p>"wednesday would better for me" the words come out a little meeker than i expect. i sound like a child telling their mother they've broken a plate.</p>
<p>"i have some stuff to do on wednesday" he says simply, the mouse clicking intensifies. i feel my body start to shut off. this is it, i'm just going to shrivel up and die here.</p>
<p>"ah" this is awkward, "don't worry! we will find time eventually" i laugh very nervously, i probably sound way too over energetic for someone who just rejected his offer.</p>
<p>"nah, i'll move the stuff around" his words are so nonchalant. i blink a few times before smiling.</p>
<p>"i'm honoured" i over pronounce the 'honoured', trying to push far how grateful i am, "i'll see you wednesday"</p>
<p>for a final time, he laughs, "i'm sure i'll see you on the server, but i'll text you later" text you later. i wonder if he actually will.</p>
<p>"bye dream" i almost whisper down the mic, my tiredness really catching up on me at this point.</p>
<p>"bye june"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. prince in shining armour</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"no stop" i scream, clicking frantically to hit the other player. i turn and run away, the pink man follow after me. "i don't even know who you are" i scream again, diving under what i remember to be the community house.</p>
<p>i've only just started my stream, and as soon as i walk into the smp i start getting chased by a pink pig man in much better armour than me. i briefly look over at chat; they're all spamming 'blood for blood god'.</p>
<p>i manage to get a little space between us, using my advantage to join the vc the man is lurking in. "what the hell dude" i shout, still running away, "i didn't even do anything" my voice almost cracks as i shout at him.</p>
<p>"you saw me" he shouts back. i turn quickly and see him still chasing after me, "i wasn't supposed to be seen" his strained shouting voice almost makes me laugh.</p>
<p>i just disconnect from the game.</p>
<p>"leave me alone i am poor" my pleading power comes out full force. i hover over reconnect button and press it quickly. the world loads in and i see the pig man standing infront of me, the spawn invincibility protects me for a second but he still manages to get a hit on me. i leave the game again.</p>
<p>"i'll give you a proposition" the man, now known as technoblade, suggests. his tone has changed again, now being much more serious and calm. my eyebrow raises and i reconnect for the last time. if he kills me or tries to kill me im just going on hypixel.</p>
<p>he doesn't try to kill me and i crouch.<br/>i'm getting involved in big lore it seems.</p>
<p>"what's the proposition, mr technoblade"</p>
<p>"i won't kill you, but you have to owe me a favour" that seems pretty fair.</p>
<p>"a favour? like a 'you must kill this person' type favour?" i question, wanting to know what i'm signing up for. i look over at the chat once again, 12,000 viewers. this is insane, i'm getting the big youtuber clout talking to technoblade.</p>
<p>"something like that"</p>
<p>"what's in it for me?" my eyebrow raises and i lean back in my chair triumphantly. i press the mute button quickly and nod to myself "got em' now boys" i say to chat before unmuting again.</p>
<p>"what do you mean what's in it for you?" he questions dramatically, "me not killing you counts for enough" i laugh a tiny bit before trying to get back in camera. before i can respond a chat message breaks my train of thought.</p>
<p>[dream joined the game]</p>
<p>"oh god you took too long" technoblade shouts, his character begins to walk towards me again. he shouts "time to die" as he jumps at me- causing me to scream.</p>
<p>before i even know what's going on, dream comes out of nowhere and starts battering techno. he shouts and begins to back off, screaming about how dream plays favourites before leaving the call. dream walks back over to me, crouches a few times, and then leaves just as fast as he joined.</p>
<p>i just blink at my camera, not even sure how to react to what just went down. "that was interesting chat" i say before just walking away from the scene and towards my house.</p>
<p>"so it seems like technoblade now might want to kill me chat" i continue down what i think is the prime path as i reflect on what just happened. "happy monday everyone" i note sarcastically.</p>
<p>"dream is like my little prince in shining armour" i say without thinking. i stop and think,that was weird. my head shakes and i continue down the path.<br/>after a while of talking to chat and redecorating my house. a green little man appears in the corner of my eye. my character crouches and sneaks round until i get a better view. it looks like he's afk standing at the edge of the property line.</p>
<p>slowly but surely i reach him and pause.</p>
<p>"what to do chat, what to do"</p>
<p>he's only wearing boots, i could kill him and take his stuff.<br/>that's so mean though. the mouse moves and my eyes scan the area. that's a flower shop right?</p>
<p>i quickly sprint and enter the flower shop, taking a daisy from one of the chests before running back to dream.</p>
<p>my mouse clicks, hitting his character. it takes a second but his head swivels as he looks for the cause of the damage. i drop the flower flower and crouch.</p>
<p>"flower" my head nods as i smile.</p>
<p>[dream] flower</p>
<p>the message comes up in the in game chat and i laugh. he's watching the stream isnt he.</p>
<p>my fingers move and quickly type back</p>
<p>[juniberries] you need to keep that forever and ever i will check</p>
<p>[dream] forever ?</p>
<p>[juniberries] for eva &lt;3</p>
<p>[dream] left the game</p>
<p>my head throws back as i laugh, my chat is going crazy. they are so easily played.</p>
<p>"if he loses that flower i will leave the server and quit streaming" my hand covers my heart and i swoon dramatically.</p>
<p>i steer the stream back into building, as well as a little grinding for resources. dream joins the game again over time, but doesn't come and bother me. i assume he's preparing for plot.</p>
<p>"by the way guys, on thursday there is this super big lore stream that i've been invited to" i say shocked, as if it's any surprise they're throwing me into lore, "apparently there is some big festival! i'm excited to go" i laugh a little.</p>
<p>i was told a little about the plot, although they kept the majority of it secret. i know the main event is going to be next week- this is just a filler for the event.</p>
<p>i play for another hour, hearing nothing from anyone else on the server. eventually the clock hits midnight and i decide to call it a day, ending my stream and lean back in my chair. all in a days work.</p>
<p>i don't know what to do now, i feel so tired but so awake.<br/>i wonder around the smp aimlessly before stumbling across the green man one again. this time he's stood with technoblade seemingly in conversation.</p>
<p>i pull up technos stream on my second monitor, they're just discussing the next few days. i wander over, staying just over to the side out of the way.</p>
<p>"you still owe me that favour" dream says in his usual slightly husky voice.</p>
<p>"i'm aware," techno says simply before jumping back and forth between two blocks, "are you cashing it in now dream?" he questions.</p>
<p>i move slightly closer, until i'm just on the edge of technos stream. a creeper explodes behind me, catching the attention of the pig. i look at his reaction on stream- he just zooms in on me and shakes his characters head.</p>
<p>"well i'm here now" i mumble to myself before walking towards them.</p>
<p>"no i'm not cashing it in yet, just checking you remembered" dream responds. he doesn't notice me until i've made my way over to the two. i crouch next to dreams character, pretending to hide behind him.</p>
<p>"who is this person you've brought to the meeting dream" techno questions. i smile a little, i am kinda interjecting.</p>
<p>"their name is june,- don't mind her, they don't have much going on behind the eyes" dreams character hits techno, causing him to sigh.</p>
<p>flower</p>
<p>where is da flower</p>
<p>i hit dreams character and he turns to me. technoblade carries on with his monologue, saying something about loyalty and crossing him. as he does, dream scrolls through his inventory until the flower is in his hand. i nod the characters head at him.</p>
<p>i'm glad he recognises the importance of the flower.</p>
<p>techno finishes what he's saying by pointing out dreams lack of attention to the meeting with a laugh. my character moves back a bit and i crouch solemnly.</p>
<p>[dream] whispered to you 'call me in 5 :)'</p>
<p>well, that's my plans for the evening.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. flower boy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>this chap is super long i do apologise in advance</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"hello mr dream" i say as i join the call. i accosted him after techno left the vc to continue his stream.</p><p>"where are you?" he says with no greetings. my head turns and looks around my room. what does he mean where are you?</p><p>"i'm just in my room" i say it slowly and hesitantly, not being completely sure i'm answering the right question.</p><p>unsurprisingly, this causes the american man to laugh. my eyes roll.<br/>"no like on the server" he corrects. i can here him smiling as he talks. it's kinda cute.</p><p>i look around my current position, all i can see is a tower. i literally don't know this server at all. "i see a tower?" i say with a questioning tone. there is literally nothing else around me, i am completely lost.</p><p>dream mutters a 'hold on' before i hear his keyboard typing. before i even comprend what happened, the green character appears in-front of me. did he just teleport?</p><p>"dream?" i almost shout, trying hold back any laughter, "did you just cheat? cheating dream confirmed? dream cheated?" the pitch of my voice goes up higher and higher with each word.</p><p>"shut up" he drags his 'u's as he speaks. a giggle escapes my mouth, my cheeks begin to heat up. why is his voice so nice?</p><p>he moves forward a little and crouches infront of me, i press the crouch button too so we're at eye level. his head looks towards the ground and he moves around in a little circle.</p><p>a purple flower appears in his hand, he drops it infront of me. a small "here you go" whispers down the mic as i pick it up.<br/>an allium. it's so beautiful, even for a few pixels.</p><p>"thank you" i whisper back, my voice being comparable to the uwu emoji, "i will keep it on me at all times". his character nods at me and i laugh softly.</p><p>eventually after a few seconds of crouching up and down, i walk away. dream follows me closely as i walk to a tree and begin punching it down. it takes a while as i don't have an axe, but listening to dreams hums as i mine makes it a lot more enjoyable. he continues to follow close behind he, almost like a small duck following its mother.</p><p>"what are you doing?" he eventually asks as i place down a crafting table. my hand moves into the pattern for wood stairs and i craft a few. i pan over to his character, who's stood a few blocks away almost studying my every move.</p><p>a nearby hill catches my attention and i run to the top, placing a few stairs at the top. "benches seem to be a big thing on this server" i explain as i take my spot on the left side, "i thought now we have exchanged flowers the only obvious thing to do next was get real estate"</p><p>he scoffs before eventually joining me on the bench. i look off into the distance and sigh, this is the weirdest thing that has ever happened to me. it's so peaceful though, even if it is just a game it's so serene. the sun eventually sets and from the corner of my eye i see dreams character turn to face me a little.</p><p>"how are you finding being on the smp?" he says, breaking the silence. i think for a second before answering. i don't want to seem ungrateful or expecting of something, but i don't want to lie.</p><p>in reality it's been insane, i'm not even sure words will convey how i've been feeling.<br/>"it's been scary" i summarise, "having so many eyes on you all the time is terrifying, i've become obsessed with reading my indirects it's so weird"</p><p>"that's the worst thing you can do right now" he laughs a little, "people are ruthless" i hum in agreement. if anyone is bound to know it's him, i don't know how he functions with some of the stuff people say about him.</p><p>a sigh leaves my mouth "i know, some of them were nice- giving me major imposter syndrome though"</p><p>"to be honest that doesn't really go away," he says softly, "it still hits me pretty hard". although i feel he's trying to comfort me, that sentence just fills me with dread. i completely understand what he means- even though it's only been 5 days since all of this started, the feeling has just got more and more intense.</p><p>"it's like i went from watching all these people, to being able to literally talk with them" i verbalise, literally just word vomiting. he hums in  agreement. at least i know ive got him. i've spoken to a few people from the smp and other ccs, although they've extended their hands as far as they can, he just seems to be so invested. so invested in me.</p><p>i dont think i've ever had someone like this, so wanting me to succeed. it feels like he's just putting everything in place for me to get to the top. it's such an alien idea, brining people up to your level, maybe even at the expense of your status. maybe he's just that selfless, maybe he feels bad for me.</p><p>i don't even know anymore.</p><p>i break the silence that's appeared between us "i even got invited to next mcc- it's so insane to me"</p><p>"who did you put down for tour team? i haven't sent my form in yet" he questions, i can hear the curiosity in his tone</p><p>"i asked not to be put in anyone to OPs team" my mind casts back to the message from one of the organisers, and me at 4am filling out a google document that felt like it was made for anyone else but me.</p><p>"why?" once again, his soft spoken voice catches me feel off guard. it completely baffles me how much this man cares.</p><p>i let a few seconds pass before i answer "i'll end up getting performance anxiety" i try to explain, "i have pretty bad anxiety anyway, the thought of being on a team where you're expected to win makes me feel sick"</p><p>the thought of being on a team where i would get pressured if i didn't do well makes my heart ache. the thought of being the clique first time contestant and being the last to finish everything- i feel my stomach start churning. "i get you" he hums. i slightly doubt that, i don't think there's ever been a competition that dream hasn't done well in. he's going to have peoples respect either way.</p><p>"you could team up with me if you want" he breaks me from my train of thought. my eyebrows raise at the idea, team with dream? dream team plus june?</p><p>"really?" i question, not sure if he's joking or being serious. i feel like i was right in assuming he didn't know what i meant, as playing with him of all people would be the exact thing i was afraid of doing.</p><p>although, maybe not. he's been acting so weirdly towards me- so comforting. maybe it wouldn't be too bad. my mind wanders and i picture us on that little stage with the crowns, him congratulating me after our streams end. it doesn't sound too bad.</p><p>almost as if he can sense when my mind wanders, he starts talking "of course, i would have to train you but it could be fun to watch you bomb at more bedwars". a hearty laugh erupts from my mouth after he finishes talking. that took me off guard.</p><p>he really just went no you can't be sentimental and soppy around me. "you're so mean" i whine, slightly enjoying opening up to him.</p><p>another one of his amazing laughs comes through my headphones, causing me to smile "no i'm not, gotta keep you on your toes" he jokes. i pout, obviously knowing he can't see it but still feeling the need to none the less.</p><p>"thank you for everything dream, you have literally changed my life" i don't let a silence fester this time, i've been meaning to thank him for a few days now i don't want to miss this opportunity. he doesn't say anything, instead crouches up and down with his minecraft character. i get what he means though.</p><p>"you keep calling me dream, you can just call me clay you know" he says, still doing a little crouch dance, "dream is only really what people on stream call me, like acquaintances and stuff" acquaintances. i know he's said before that he considers me a friend but it really just set in.</p><p>"clay, that's a really fun name mr clay"</p><p>"why are you lurking in here" a new voice says suddenly, familiar but not known, "we've been trying to get hold of you for like ages" the voice continues. i assume they're talking to dream- no clay, and don't say anything.</p><p>the name on discord reads 'sapnap'. oh, that makes sense. he's one of his close friends.</p><p>has he been ignoring their messages?</p><p>"yeah i've been busy" the tone of his voice is completely different, it's fine from being soft and sweet to almost completely serious. "this is june by the way, we were just talking about smp stuff"</p><p>i let out a quiet 'hi', still a little intimidated.</p><p>"oh june! dream was telling me about you yesterday" sapnap exclaims. "welcome to the smp"</p><p>"thanks dude, i'm excited to okay with you all" i respond.</p><p>dream was telling me about you. i really live in his mind rent free.</p><p>"are you gonna be in here all night, george said you wanted to record the shorts thing tonight" sapnap continues, questioning dream. i see where this is going to go, dream is going to bail on me for the boys. i don't blame him- i would probably do the same.</p><p>an long "uh" comes from dreams mic as he thinks "june do you want to come and hang with us?" i almost freeze. me hanging out with them? what sort of idea is that?</p><p>i hear sapnap type something aggressively. i imagine it's to dream saying how lame he is for inviting me.</p><p>"really? i don't want to intrude" i question. i can't imagine 'george' or sapnap wanting me there. i've heard briefly about how close they all are- i would just be like a stranger.</p><p>clay speaks quickly to inject what i'm suggesting "no no, it'll be fun" i think he wants me there. but why? i don't even think i'm that funny.</p><p>"what to have her like in the video?" sapnap a tone is protective. "not that i care i'm just curious" i get why he's nervous, the amount of clout chasers their group specifically must have had trying to weasle their way into the inner circle is unimaginable. i'm sure he just worried i'm using dream.</p><p>"well no, but the filming is going to take like 10 minutes at best- could be fun to have someone new in our group chat" clay explains, making it almost sound like a good idea.</p><p>all that comes from sapnap is an "uh". i feel like i have an angel and a devil on my shoulder right now, sapnap obviously doesn't want me to go. but i think i'll miss clay, i don't want to stop talking to him yet.</p><p>"it's pretty late" i say eventually coming to the conclusion that game time with the boys isnt for me "i'll pass for today"</p><p>" clay thank you for hanging with me" i mumble directly into the mic. "sapnap you're pretty cool too" i laugh a little as i speak.</p><p>both of the boys say their goodbyes before leaving the vc, i follow their lead and leave. before i shut my computer down i get another ding on discord.</p><p>[dream]<br/>i will keep the flower with me in spirit whilst i film<br/>sorry about nick i don't think he was expecting me to be mid conversation</p><p>[june]<br/>protect da flower to the end!!<br/>it's okay, it was really nice hanging out with you for a little while clay</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. sapnap</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"you should join me on stream today" i say as i help matt pack away the last things from his university project. we had to film some shots for his film course, it wasn't very fun. "only for the first bit, i'm doing big lore today" i continue, putting the last camera away in its bag.</p>
<p>"you're just using me for content" he heaves as one of the heavier equipment bags is hauled off the ground and into a table. my head nods, causing him to laugh. "what's happening in the lore?" he asks.</p>
<p>"well" i start, "today's plan was for me to go and see wilburs character, more specifically ghostbur, he would then reveal that my character is a witch because he's a ghost and can sense these things" i explain. this makes complete sense, a ghost being able to smell out witches.</p>
<p>matt finishes moving the equipment infront of him and stretches. "was that it? that was all the lore you've been given" his tone stays in his usual saractic pace, "little june only being given the crumbs" he laughs. my eyes roll, i take a seat perched on his bed. he strolls over and sits in his office chair.</p>
<p>"i would much rather be given crumbs than be thrown in the deep end" my hand lifts and i look at the time. i need to go set up my stream, "you finish up here i need to go set my stream"</p>
<p>i make my way to my room and take my seat. my mind keeps going back to that conversation with clay.<br/>i still don't know if he was being serious about the mcc group. the applications closed today, but him being like the biggest content creator in the game i doubt they would refuse entry.<br/>i press the go live button and leave it on the starting soon stream. the view count rises intensely for a few seconds. it almost leaves me breathless.</p>
<p>"matt" i scream, trying to get him in. i hear a groan before my bedroom door being shut.<br/>"i brought me chair" he says in an overly british accent. he places it down next to me and falls into it.</p>
<p>"do you want to do the intro?" i ask, pulling up my stream on my second monitor. he hums 'yes', before taking it apon himself to move my camera so i'm cut out of frame. my hand moves and changes the scene, causing matts face to be plastered front and center on screen. he begins talking, pretending to be me, as he does i sort out my headphones adapter and pass him a set of headphones.</p>
<p>after a while i move the camera back, starting my stream on the smp offically.</p>
<p>"wait can we go and grief someone" matt says , trying to rip the keyboard from my hands. i swat him away and shake my head.</p>
<p>"last time someone griefed a house i'm pretty sure it caused a war" i laugh at my own words, matt makes an unhappy sound.</p>
<p>"chat is saying to let me do it" matt announces, a smug look on his face. i roll my eyes and push the keyboard towards him.</p>
<p>he runs around aimlessly for a while, not being able to find anything. he ends up back at the bench me and dream sat at and announces dramatically he plans to destroy that.<br/>"nope!" the keyboard gets pushed back infront of me as i snatch it back, making the character run very far away from the bench, "that's my bench". i steer the character back to civilisation, to what i remember to be erets castle.</p>
<p>"grief the gay castle matt, be a homophobe" my heads turn to look at him. his face drops and his head shakes. i've got him now.</p>
<p>he doesn't say anything, and instead stands up and leaves. i take a second of laughing, slightly struggling to keep my composure.<br/>"that was matt you guys, don't you think he's cool" i say once i finally manage a sentence without laughing.</p>
<p>"can i get a prime if you love uncle matt?" my eyebrow raises. i was taught the other day by tommy how the art of primes is perfected.</p>
<p>i entertain stream some more, exploring some parts of the smp i just hadn't seen yet. 'suddenly', i run into a ghostbur lurking in the woods. we talk for a while before wilbur gets to his scripted line.</p>
<p>"i think your a witch june" the character crouches infront of me as it looks me up and down, "your energy seems so much stronger than everyone elses"</p>
<p>my eyebrow raises, i join him crouching. "no one is supposed to know that ghostbur" i whisper.</p>
<p>fireworks go off in my head. it went exactly how me and wilbur planned it to. chat seems to be going absolutely insane over my potential arc.</p>
<p>i play with wilbur a little longer, pretending to take him back home from his adventure whilst discussing lore. eventually wilbur leaves, chat still buzzes from the tiny bits of lore i'm feeding them.</p>
<p>after a long and slightly boring 40 minutes of solo streaming, a ding signals someone joined the vc. i look over at my discord.</p>
<p>oh it's just dream.</p>
<p>"hello?" a familiar voice says, i smile on reflex. it's been a while since i talked to him, a whole 24 hours i believe.</p>
<p>"dream" i almost sing, "it's good to speak to you" i've noticed recently that my voice turns into an 'uwu' voice whenever i talk to dream or mention him.</p>
<p>"it's good to speak to you too" another voice says. i freeze and look at the discord again, it's just dream? how is someone else talking.</p>
<p>"sapnap?" i say in a very cautious and questioning tone, my chat is spamming sapnap so i assume i'm right. do they live together?</p>
<p>"sorry sapnap wanted to crash the stream" clay explains. i nod and continue on my journey in the server.</p>
<p>the two begin to discuss something and i zone out, chat seems very happy with the two being here so i don't pay much attention. i tune back in when i hear them talking about the server.</p>
<p>"i swear dream has been more active on the smp in the last week then he has been in like many months" sapnap jokes. i laugh pulling a weird face at the camera. surely that can't be right.</p>
<p>"that's not true" clay denies, barely even laughing. where is sapnap going with this?</p>
<p>"i think it's because june joined"</p>
<p>ah, that's where.</p>
<p>i blink a few times before looking at the camera with an awkward expression. i don't even know what to say in response.</p>
<p>i contemplate leaving the call, but dream talks and interrupts my thought process, "shut up sapnap". he almost makes me laugh, his tone sounds so fed up with sapnap already.</p>
<p>"he didn't deny it" sapnap almost shouts down the mic. my hand moves and covers my mouth as i let out a intense giggle.</p>
<p>dream mutters a "you're an idiot", i laugh even harder. sapnap is really pushing the boundaries considering i only just met him.</p>
<p>there's a second silence before sapnap starts screaming and laughing. "he's blushing, he's blushing" sapnap repeats. my hand moves from my mouth to my eyes, shielding my face from the second hand embarrassment.</p>
<p>i can see the twitter hashtags now, this is terrible. i go say something but a ping from discord distracts me.</p>
<p>dream left the discord call. it goes quiet as me and chat pull a universal :| face.</p>
<p>"well chat that was fun, i think i'm going to end up here" i say before finding someone to raid, "men right? cant live with them" i hover over someone from the smps stream.</p>
<p>"i'm sending you over to the awesamdude"  i exclaim, "reminder guys, you should never trust someone called sapnap" i say as the raid goes through and the stream comes to an end.</p>
<p>my body relaxes and i start to tidy the tabs off my desktop. i get interrupted by a jarring discord phone sound.</p>
<p>it's dream, trying to add me into the private discord again.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. the colour brown</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"hello?" i try not to let the nervousness show in my voice as i enter the private discord, my computer connecting to the current voice call.</p>
<p>dreams icon lights up as he talks "hey june" clay says, in a slightly over enthusiastic tone.</p>
<p>"hello" a fellow british voice says, his discord nickname reads 'father gog ', so i assume it's george.</p>
<p>the other man in the vc finally takes his time to speak "oh it's june again, did you have a good stream?" he says with a hint of sarcasm, my eyes roll.</p>
<p>my head shakes as i laugh, "yeah thanks sapnap, your section really pulled it together"</p>
<p>"you are very welcome" he laughs, i hear a quiet giggle come from clay.</p>
<p>it goes silent for a second before the british man speaks "what happened?" before i can even speak a word, clay interiors with an unhappy 'hmpth' sound.</p>
<p>"nick was being a dick" he says simply. i hold back the urge to laugh, george doesnt.</p>
<p>"i was just pointing out how clay has been unusually busy since a certain someone joined the server" his voice quivers in the middle of the sentence, my eyes roll again. i get that they're joking amongst friends, but i feel like i'm slightly at the but of the jokes.</p>
<p>"oh" george sings as he giggles, trying to tease clay even more.</p>
<p>a stuttered 'wow' comes from clay, "i didn't realise it was illegal for me to have friends other than you nick" clay pokes fun at sapnap with a harsh tone. nick? he doesn't seem like the type of person to be called nick. "sorry i know how hard you take being second best" dream continues.</p>
<p>my chair creaks as i lean back and get comfortable as i listen to the bickering. "but i'm not wrong" he shouts down the mic. "he even nearly missed the recording for his channel it's insane" he makes a valid point. george agrees in a high pitched laugh.</p>
<p>"dream simp? dream simping?" george says dramatically, raising his voice 2 octaves.</p>
<p>i take a deep breath before speaking, not wanting to sound cringey "simp smp?" my eyebrow raises as i speak, my tone following suit.</p>
<p>george and sapnap both scream 'oh' before shouting at clay about how he got roasted for being a simp by the person apparently simps for.</p>
<p>"i'm leaving" dream announces, leaving as quickly as he speaks. sapnap sighs.<br/>my headphones start beeping, drawing my attention over to discord.</p>
<p>george let's out a high pitched laugh, "oh my god he's pinging june in the gc chat what a loser". about 20 spams of my discord name as well as the words "call me" fill up the vc chat feed.</p>
<p>"don't leave june, i want him to come back" sapnap tells me, i can hear the smile in his voice. i feel slightly bad, but i know it's all in good faith.</p>
<p>a few seconds past, and like sapnap said, he joins back into the vc.</p>
<p>"you didn't join the other vc" he whines, causing me and the others to laugh loudly. sapnap pokes some more fun at dream before george continues questioning.</p>
<p>"wasn't june streaming with a guy earlier?"</p>
<p>"matt" the words slip from my mouth, slightly confused at the mention of my friend.</p>
<p>"clay said they were just friends, he said 'they were like brother and sister" my head tilts as sapnap talks.</p>
<p>"i didn't even say that to him- i said it on matts stream" the cogs begin to work in my brain, "dream stalker?" i raise my voice, causing a few more laughs from the boys.</p>
<p>he lets out a long sigh "fine i'll just go then, bye june i'll text you tomorrow".</p>
<p>wait no, that's not what i wanted.</p>
<p>"no" i blurt out, a second passes as i regain my composure, "i'll talk to you in a separate call" i almost plead.</p>
<p>"june simp? june simping?</p>
<p>"june simp moment?"</p>
<p>i hear the chatter of the two immature boys as i open discord to call him. eventually i leave the call and press the call button next to clays name. it rings for like 20 seconds, just when i think he's not going to answer it connects.</p>
<p>"hey" he sounds defeated, i hope he didn't take the teasing too seriously, "sorry about them, they take one idea and run with it" his laugh tells me things like this have happened before. i know what it's like to have slightly overbearing friends.</p>
<p>"well" i start, not wanting to deep the conversation too much, "it's not helping that you are kinda acting like a simp" a giggle leaves my lips after i speak.</p>
<p>in a shocked but not surpised tone, he lets out a exasperated "hey"</p>
<p>i listen to him laugh for a few seconds, the sound brightening up my day in an instant. "listen i'm just pointing out the obvious" i defend, "whether it's true or not, you have the traits of a simp"</p>
<p>"fine" he hums, "i'll stop talking to you"</p>
<p>"no" my eyes widen and i let out a defensive chuckle, "you don't have to do that, i was just pointing it out" i plead, trying not to seem too desperate.</p>
<p>"see!" he shouts, obviously picking up on my tone of voice, "it's not just me" comes through his mic after he stops laughing. i smile to myself, playing with my fingers as he keeps talking.</p>
<p>"you keep talking in that tone and you gave me that flower, and we sat on that bench you made" his voice gets softer and softer as he talks, until he's at a loud whisper.</p>
<p>a sigh leaves my lips as i think, "r/ nice guy dream arc" i break the tension. it takes a second for the cogs to move in his brain, before he finally realises that i compared him to an incel.</p>
<p>"you're so dumb" my brain works, picturing him shaking his head. it's weird visualising someone you've never seen, even talking to someone who knows exactly what you look like but not knowing them is kinda freaky.</p>
<p>a little time passes, i yawn. "what time is it for you?" a hum leaves his mouth as i hear him clicking to see time.</p>
<p>"it's like 9pm, i've got some editing to do in a bit" he says with a sigh, "isn't it like 2am for you?"</p>
<p>my eyes widen as i look over at my own clock, "yeah i'm about to get into bed"</p>
<p>i hear a weak 'oh' come from clays end, "are you going to go or?"</p>
<p>"um" i say as i ponder. i could stay for a bit i guess? i have a big day tomorrow though, although it's only a stream with clay- in reality it's a stream with dream. there's going to be so many people watching, i'm not sure it's a good idea to be sleep deprived. my mouth moves to talk before i can finish my train of thought "i can stay on call i guess, but i'm getting into bed"</p>
<p>a moment passes before he speaks "i've been meaning to ask, have you made a youtube channel yet?" my eyes widen a little, i hadn't really considered that.</p>
<p>"you know i don't think i'm actually going to make one" i say as i stand from my desk, connecting the call to my phone rather than my computer. i stroll over to my bed as i put my headphones in "i looked into it but i can barely afford to upgrafe my computer, let alone pay editors" a laugh leaves my mouth as i speak. i think it would be a whole lot of effort to start youtube now, i don't want to seem as if i'm trying to capitalise from dreams kindness too much.</p>
<p>i climb under the covers and set up the phone next to my head. clay hums and i hear his keyboard type aggressively.</p>
<p>"i could give you some money if you want"</p>
<p>a loud cackle comes from my mouth at the idea, "such a simp" i mumble and he giggles childishly.</p>
<p>"i was just trying to be nice" he says in protest. i do feel slightly warmed by the offer, i just don't want to take advantage of him.</p>
<p>"i don't need a sugar daddy clay" i sing back, deciding to tease him rather than playing into the helpless girl stereotype he wants me to purse.</p>
<p>"oh i like that" his tone changes and his voice deepens. "say it again for me" i almost feel my heart skip a beat.</p>
<p>i take a deep breath before summoning the most ironically seductive voice i can "you like me calling you daddy?" i smirk to myself, "you want me to do what daddy says?"</p>
<p>"stop" he says simply.</p>
<p>"why daddy? making you feel some type of way?" i pout to myself, almost forgetting he can't see me. i like to think he's getting all hot and bothered, the idea of him sitting in his chair squirming at the thought makes me sigh softly. after all, reading men is my favourite past time.</p>
<p>"you're so gross" his tone is still in the same sultry state, he's trying to tease me as much as i am him.</p>
<p>i continue, "you were the one who said you liked it" as i finally lay down in my bed.</p>
<p>he mutters something else but i can't quite make out.</p>
<p>"tell me about what you're editing" i say in a hushed voice, my lack of sleep starting to finally catch up on me. i snuggle into my pillow as he explains, something about one of his manhunts.<br/>i listen for what feels like forever, i look over at the clock on my wall- it's only been 40 mins of his stories. his voice the usual silky but husky tone. it reminds me of the colour brown, everything he does just makes me think of brown.</p>
<p>browns my favourite colour,</p>
<p>just like he's one of my favourite people.</p>
<p>i feel myself start to drift off to sleep; closing my eyes and picturing a man with a brown aurora sat in his chair with a smile, explaining the plot to a video he seems so passionate about.</p>
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<a name="section0009"><h2>9. 12 hours</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"stop i'm nearly dead" is the first thing i hear when i wake up. my eyes shoot open at the sound of the scream. what the fuck was that?</p><p>i look around my room to search for the sound, slightly startled and confused. slowly, i turn to my phone.</p><p>i'm still on call with clay. he never put the phone down.</p><p>it's nearly 3pm, he stayed on the call for 13 hours?</p><p>i fall back down onto my bed and stretch. "hello?" i say meekly, adjusting my airpod so my mic isn't covered by my hair.</p><p>"oh your awake" he responds almost immediately. the voice makes my head hurt, it's too soon after waking up to be dealing with his over enthusiasm.</p><p>"what?" he says suddenly "no i'm just talking to june"</p><p>i don't think he's talking to me. did he add me to a group call? i pick up my phone look at discord, it's still just us.</p><p>"i have two pairs of headphones in, she was asleep" he continues speaking to the other people. i don't pay much attention, and focus on trying to wake up more.</p><p>"your such a freak" my head tilts as clay speaks. what is he talking about?</p><p>"who are you talking to?" i groan, my curiosity getting the best of me.</p><p>"i'm in another call with sapnap and bad, you're on my phone and they're on the computer" he complains. it finally makes sense, i honestly wouldn't expect anything less.  "sorry, i had myself muted on your call but i must have misclicked"</p><p>"it's okay" i whine softly. i sigh into the mic before shuffling to get comfortable again. why didn't he put the phone down? i didnt mean to fall asleep, i definitely didn't expect him to still be here.</p><p>"i'll be right back guys" he says before i hear him press a key.</p><p>i think to myself pondering whether to ask him the question on my mind. i cave and ask "why didn't you put the phone down?"</p><p>"you make cute sounds when you sleep" he says without hesitation. i laugh out of embarrassment. "also i wanted to say good morning, i wasn't expecting you to sleep so long if i'm honest" he teases.</p><p>a mumble of "hm" comes from my mouth as i snuggle into the comfort of my bed again. i hear him still clicking aggressively over the mic and a smile spreads on my face.</p><p>this is still so alien to me- i know he's just a person but like, it's dream. before i can continue boosting my own ego he speaks softly and calmly, "i managed to get a good 4 hours sleep, you must have been really tired". like usual i can hear his smile as he talks, it's endearing.</p><p>"i slept the entire day" a groan leaves my mouth as i look at the time again, "we have a stream in 5 hours"</p><p>"i was going to wake you up if you overslept" he says simply, as if this was a common occurrence. i stifle the urge to laugh this time. instead rolling my eyes.</p><p>i let out a long, loud yawn before stating "such a weirdo" to him. an unimpressed sound comes from his mouth.</p><p>"do you want to come hang? youd get to meet bad" my eyebrows raise as he talks. once again he's inviting me into the inner circle.</p><p>he either genuinely enjoys my presence or his welcoming to the smp is way too overly nice. i don't think i've ever had an interaction so considerate with a streamer before.</p><p>i think for a second, suddenly remembering all the chores and work i have left to do still "i need to go adult things"</p><p>my brain scrambles, i need to shower. and get some groceries, and tidy my desk. and order a new webcam, and message that artist about new panels for the stream.</p><p>my mind continues to wonder, the list of chores getting longer and longer, until clay speaks with his stupid voice and says "adult things?"</p><p>my mouth almost drops open "work things you creep". that was my fault, i worded it weirdly whilst being in the presence of him.</p><p>"catch you in a bit?" i say after my reasoning. for a split second i consider not going and hanging out more, being spontaneous and taking advantage of spending more time networking.</p><p>and more time with him.</p><p>"i miss you already" he laughs. unknowingly, a smile lights up on my face. my heart starts to warm, as well as my cheeks.</p><p>my mouse hover over the disconnect button for a second, trying to think of some quick remark to leave him with.</p><p>my head goes blank, instead i hum before disconnecting.</p><p>i lay for a second before jumping out of bed.</p><p>time to be responsible.</p><p>i go through my day with ease, doing things with half effort and relaxing. even when i'm doing things so far disconnected from the smp and streaming my mind still races.</p><p>it's not until i'm back in my chair, ready to hit the go live button that it really sets in.</p><p>i'm basically set up for a job now. before this i was only really doing this for a hobby, living off the last of my university savings after i dropped out, getting ready to start working like an adult and to start leaving all of this behind.</p><p>i'm only 19. i thought that was it, i'd have to just settle into adult life. leave matt behind, go back and study something i actually enjoy. but then he appeared.</p><p>he knew exactly when to pop into my bubble of life.</p><p>i'm not sure whether the attraction i'm feeling to him is selfish or genuine anymore. maybe it's just the gratitude from him changing my life so much, maybe i'm just attracted to the numbers.</p><p>but regardless, as my mouse hovers over the accept button of his call, i can feel a smile rising from the pit of my stomach.</p><p>"hey, clay" i say once i accept, my mouth now completely upturned with a childlike smile. "you ready to stream?"</p><p>my world melts once again as he speaks, "yeah" the words come as simply as they are meant. he asks me about my day, i just respond with a hum. admiring the soft silence as my stream goes live.</p><p>"guys" i say once the button signalling the state of the stream goes green "we're finally playing bedwars with dream!" my face pulls an excited face as the view count shoots up.</p><p>"hi everyone" he almost mutters. a cold laugh escapes my lips as my eyebrows raise.</p><p>"don't sound too enthusiastic" i retort. a chuckle comes through my headphones.</p><p>he groans, i hear the sound of his chair creaking as i assume he stretches "june practically begged me to come and teach them how to play" he lies, saying his words packed with confidence. "of course, i'd do anything for her so here i am" his last line tickled my brain, causing my eyes to roll with impatience</p><p>i look dead into my camera, "if you didn't know dream is a complete liar, he asked me like 5 times to teach me in preparation for MCC" i explain, satisfied.</p><p>"june" his shift in tone catches me off guard, it's gone from being dry to being shocked and with a sweet laugh "you weren't supposed to tell them"</p><p>i pull an expression towards my camera, humoured at the idea of him thinking i'm that stupid. " it's fine i was told it was okay to mention" i assure, not wanting to worry him. "i'm more sociable than you paint me out to be" the words leave my mouth before i think.</p><p>"what?" he says just as shocked as i am. that's the first time i've teased him on stream.<br/>he continues talking as i jump onto hypixel "who have you talked to outside of people you talked to whilst i was there?"</p><p>he's really feeding chat, they are loving the look into dreams social life.</p><p>"i spoke to puffy" i stick to on screen friends, "and very briefly with this british guy" a twinge of guilt strikes through me. i feel like i should be caught up on other uk creators but it really was for like 20 seconds. i think his name was jack, i can't quite remember.</p><p>a short and simple "hm" comes from his mouth as the lobby loads.</p><p>i still don't have youtube rank, i guess that's one grounding thing.</p><p>"i spoke to punz as well" i announce suddenly, wanting so desperately to hear his exasperated voice again "he was really nice"</p><p>'ha' shoots through my ears. the type where you can't tell if someone is annoyed or humoured "of course he was nice"</p><p>"what does that mean?" i question, using the most innocent tone i can muster.</p><p>"have you not seen his tweets?" he replies expectedly. i mean he's not wrong, i have seen exactly what he's talking about.</p><p>it's as if some people don't know private messages exist.</p><p>my lips stay straight as i try to keep my composure and keep the bit going. "that's not very nice-i think he's a kind and attractive guy" i tease clay again, knowing it's going to provoke a reaction. "plus he knows matt" i throw in to seal the deal.</p><p>i don't actually find punz all that attractive, just knowing that the likely response from clay is to be annoyed is enough for me.</p><p>"kind and attractive?" he says almost flustered.</p><p>the chat continues to rush with emotes and a flurry of 'LMAO's and 'HAHA'.</p><p>"don't be jealous dream" i say finally, ending the bit with the final push. i hear a frustrated and amused huff come from him.</p><p>i wouldn't do this if he didn't make it so entertaining to get under his skin. i can picture him squirming in his seat.<br/>i think he has a saviour complex, he seems so jealous about something that at the end of the day, isnt his.</p><p>it doesn't mean i don't enjoy getting fussed over.</p><p>"are you in the lobby yet? i'll send you a party invite" he sounds defeated. i can hold it in anymore, a wave of laughs wash over me as i almost cackle.</p><p>he's like a little kid worried about losing his favourite toy.</p>
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